Caption: Titus at IDET 2021
The Czech Army is to be reinforced in the future by 62 TITUS armoured vehicles. It is to represent a modern wheeled platform from Czech manufacturers designed for the dynamically changing war theatre of the 21st century. The TITUS was also presented at the IDET 2021 international defence fair in October.
The Czech Army took a significant step forward when it signed a contract for the acquisition of 62 TITUS armoured vehicles in 2019. The Army will be reinforced by 42 command and staff and communications wheeled armoured vehicles and 20 MKPP (fire support coordination point) wheeled armoured vehicles. However, in the future, there may be as many as 300 vehicles, as the Army has previously stated.
The development of the Titus 6x6 armoured vehicle on a chassis from the workshops of Kopřivnice Tatra dates back to 2010, when the basic version of the vehicle was created as a joint project of the Kopřivnice company Tatra Trucks and the French arms manufacturer Nexter.
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Several domestic companies cooperated on a special version of the vehicle intended for the Czech Army. The main system integrator of the project is the Kopřivnice-based Tatra Defence Vehicle (TDV), the aforementioned Tatra Trucks company is responsible for the chassis platforms, and Retia from Pardubice will supply the electronic systems. The final supplier for the army will be Eldis.
The vehicles should be delivered between 2022 and 2023, with Nexter, which also offers TITUSes on foreign markets, participating in the first phase of production. In the next phases, the production of the bodies and the assembly of the vehicles and the integration of special equipment and electronics will be fully under the responsibility of TDV's Kopřivnice plant.
The TITUS, weighing around 30 t, falls into the MRAV (Multi-Role Armoured Vehicle) category, i.e. vehicles characterised by strong armouring, high crew protection, durability and excellent mobility, even in difficult terrain. The version destined for our Army will be powered by a 373 kW diesel six-cylinder engine with a top speed of 90 km/h and a range of up to 800 km. The TATRA chassis will give the vehicle considerable advantages, especially in difficult terrain. TITUSes can easily overcome obstacles such as ditches up to 1.6 m wide and cross water obstacles up to 1.2 m deep.
See also: TITUS - a new armored vehicle for the Czech Army is gaining concrete form
TITUS vehicles for the Czech army find a wide range of applications. They will be used for missions abroad and on the territory of the Czech Republic, and it is expected that they will also be used by the Integrated Rescue System (IZS). The modern wheeled armoured platform TITUS is not only suitable for the Army, but also for the security forces due to its versatility. TITUS thus represents a versatile comprehensive solution that significantly strengthens the Czech Army's capabilities in MRAV armoured vehicles.